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2012 CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-America
Capital University senior Nate Nasrallah has been named to the 2012 Capital One Academic All-America Division III Football first team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the organization announced Tuesday, Dec. 4.
"I feel fortunate, because there are a lot of other guys on our team who could have been right there too," Nasrallah said. "One of my goals coming into college was to become an Academic All-American, and the other was to win a conference championship and make a run in the (NCAA) playoffs. My whole reason for playing was to play for a team championship, but it's good to have met one of my goals."
Nasrallah, a Norton, Ohio, native, is the first Crusader since 2006 to earn Academic All-America distinction. He currently maintains a 3.98 grade point average on a 4.0 scale majoring in philosophy and pre-law with minors in history and political science.
"Nate holds himself to a high standard," defensive line coach Jon Spring said. "He's hard on himself, and that's why he's so great with everything he does. He's a bright kid who's always asking what he can do to get better."
Nasrallah became eligible for Academic All-America consideration after he was named to the All-District VII first team last month.
A two-time All-OAC honorable mention selection, Nasrallah also recently earned academic all-conference accolades for the second time. In 2012, he led the team and ranked third in the league with nine sacks and also tallied 50 tackles (11 for a loss) and a forced fumble. The defensive lineman registered seven sacks in his final three games.
As a junior in 2011, Nasrallah posted a team-best eight sacks to go along with 38 tackles and a fumble recovery.
An undersized defensive lineman at 6-feet, 250 pounds, Spring said Nasrallah constantly had to outwork his opponents on the field, which carried over into the classroom.
"Nate had to work his butt off because he's a little undersized," Spring said. "He's always understood the game, and with his disciplined mentality, he expects greatness."
Nasrallah was one of three student-athletes from the Ohio Athletic Conference picked to the first team. Senior defensive back Nick Driskill of Mount Union won the Division III Academic All-America of the Year award.
